social change

• What is the definition of social change?


  the process by which whole societies, and not just individuals, change beliefs, attitude and behaviours to create new social norms
• What are some examples of social change?

  • Suffragettes
  • Civil rights movement
  • Unions
  • Recycling
• What are the social influence factors in conformity


  • NSI + social role interventions (situational factors)
• What are the social influence factors in obedience?

  • Gradual commitment
  • 'Foot in door' technique
  • Legitimacy of authority
• What are the social influence factors in minority influence?


  • Consistency, commitment, flexibility, identification
  • 6-step process:

  Draw attention, Consistency, Deeper processing, Augmentation process, Snowball effect, Cryptomnesia
• How does normative social influence affect social change?


  draw attention to the undesirable behaviour and claim others do not do this therefore people change behaviour to fit in

  e.g, prevent young people from smoking by saying other young people don't smoke
• How does gradual commitment affect social change?

  once a small change has been made it is more difficult to resist a bigger one

  e.g, Milgram - building up shocks over time + propaganda
• How does the 'foot in the door' technique affect social change?


  getting a person to agree to a large request by having them agree to a modest request first
• How does the legitimacy of authority affect social change? 


  higher social status = more power over enforcing social change

  e.g, laws
• How does drawing attention affect social change?


  through social proof, letting the majority know there is an opposing opinion
• How does consistency affect social change?


  • show self-confidence in the correctness of belief and therefore taken more seriously

  e.g, repeatedly sharing belief in posters, meeting etc
• How does deeper processing affect social change?


  encourage a deeper reflection of the opposing views

  e.g, further research into belief can affect peer opinions
• How does the augmentation process affect social change?


  willing to suffer/be at an inconvenience highlights the seriousness of belief

  e.g, protests
• How does the snowball effect affect social change?


  has a small impact at first but as this spreads more people consider position which leads to wide-scale, strong change
• How does cryptomnesia affect social change?


  minority's view becomes the norm and the majority cannot remember the time before the change